Signature-holding arm for book-sewing machines.



Patented Aug. 27, I901.

No. 68l,509.

J. n. mavnoms.

SIGNATURE HOLDING ABM FOB BOOK SEWING MACHINES.

(Applicafiicn filed May 20, 1901.)

(No Model.)

NlTED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN R. REYNOLDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMYTHMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SIGNATURE-HOLDING ARM FOR BOOK-SEWING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 681,509, dated August27, 1901.

Application filed May 20, 1901. Serial No- 61,021. (No model.)

' fication.

My present invention is an improvement upon the device patented to meJune 19, 1887, No. 366,793, and also upon the device patented to myselfand A. I. Jacobs, September 2, 1890, No. 435,611.

In book-sewing machines sheet or signature holding bars have beenarranged about a vertical shaft and devices have been employed forraising and lowering these bars and turning the same progressively, sothat the signatures laid successively upon the bars are presented one ata time to the sewing mechanism. These sheet or signature holding barshave projected radially at spaced-apart intervals from a head movableupon the vertical shaft, and associated with these bars there has been aseries of perforators and devices for moving the same vertically, and bythis means holes were made through the fold of the signatures or sheetsfor the entrance of the curved sewing-needles. Heretofore the devicesemployed for connecting these signature or sheet holding bars to thehead have not been fully operative. These bars are liable because oftheir length and their quick up-and-down and swinging movement to sag atthe outer or free end, and screws employed to level the bars have had abearing upon the edges of thin plates fastened upon the respective sidesof the bar and between which were located the mechanism and the seriesof perforators. The action of these screws against the narrow edges ofthe plates has been to bend and crush and otherwise mar the plates,

tion of the main bar, and in combination with such structure I employnovel devices for connecting the bar to the head and for holding andmoving the leveling devices, so that the rapid movements of the bar andadjacent parts do not tend to loosen the said devices or lessen thetension or hold thereof upon the bars.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation and partial sectionrepresenting my present improvement. Fig. 2 is an inverted sectionalplan at the line a; m of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an elevation at the supportedend of the sheetholding bar alone, and Fig. 4 is a partial in vertedsectional plan representing a form of my invention.

In this art the vertical shaft 0, the head vertically movable upon theshaft 0, the yoke 8, the clamping-nut 11 and devices adapted to engagethe yoke 8 for vertically moving the head, the sheet-holding bar e, thethin side plates 4, riveted thereto, are well known, as

are also the range or series of perforators 2, the bar 6, to which theyare connected by screws 7, the reciprocating bar 10,which, with the bar6, is between the plates 4:,and the camslots 9 in the bar 10, by whichwith the screws passing through the plates 4 and alongitudinally-reciprocating movement of the bar 10 said parts areadapted to raise and lower the said bar and the connecting-bar 6 and theseries of perforators 2.

In my improvement the head comprises the sleeve a and integral disk 5,the flanged disk 3 surrounding the sleeve to and vertically movable,said disks being horizontally disposed and spaced apart. Eachsheet-holding bar e is received between the disks 3 5, and screws 15form guides for the disk' 3 and hold the disks together, clamping thebars e between. A locking-pin 12 passes through the disk 3 into a notchin the upper edge of the bar 6, and steadypins 13 are located in theupper surface of the disk 5 and come at opposite sides of the bar 6, sothat in connecting the bars 6 to the head the same are slipped betweenthe steady-pins 13 into the recess formed between the disks and thesleeve a, the disks are drawn together, and the lockingpins 12 come downto place. holding bar 6 is provided with a foot part a integraltherewith, the bars at this place be- Each sheet-' ing transversely of asurface width appreciably greater than the measurements of'the headbetween the under surface of the disk 3 and the under surface of thedisk 5, so that as each bar 6 is in place its foot portion 6 sets upadjacent to the face or periphery of the disk and extends below thesame, ashereinafter set forth. There is therefore not only the supportof the horizontal faces of the disks 3 5, but the vertical face of thesleeve a. The side plates 4, connected to the bar 6 by the rivets 1,have their vertical back edges placed a slight distance away from thecontacting edge of the foot part e with the disk 5. The under surface ofthe flanged disk 3 is radially slotted to receive the upper edges of thesignature-holding bars e.

In the preferred form of my invention (shown in Figs. 1 to 3,inclusive). I employ cam-disks h, secured to and upon the under side ofthe disk 5 by screws "5. These camdisks agree in number with the numberof the signature-holding bars e, and the foot parts e are of sufficientdepth to extend across the peripheral faces of the said cam-disks and tobear thereon. The screws 2' are in line with the bars e, and the saidcam-disks h are provided with holes Z, radially placed and spaced apart,extending into the periphery for engagement by a spanner or key employedto turn the cam-disks against the foot parte of the bar a for applyingforce for elevating the outer end thereof and holding the bar in place.It will be noticed from the drawings that the entire edge faces of thefoot parts e bear upon the peripheral faces of the camdisks, thusproviding an ample bearing-surface, lessening the possibility of injuryto parts.

In the modified form of the invention (shown in Fig. 4) screws 17,agreeing in number with the number of the signature or sheet holdingbars, occupy radial positions in the head. Iprefer to employ four ofsuch screws. The head portions of the screws are in openings in theannular rib a and the threaded portions of the screws ininteriorly-threaded openings in the sleeve of the head, the screws bypreference being provided with transverse holes to receive a small rodby which they are turned, and beneath the flange 5 and between the pairsof screws I employ arc-pieces d. The ends of these arc-pieces arenotched to receive the curved surfaces of the screws 6, and I employtension screws 14:, passing through the annular rib 0, against the outersurfaces of the arc-pieces, the movement of which forces the arc-piecestoward the screws 79 to create a friction and a holding function, whichprevents vibration or accident turning the screws 1). The pressureexerted upon the screws 1) by the arc pieces (I may be readily regulatedby the screws 14. It will be noticed, especially by reference to Fig.4:, that the flat faces of the heads of the screws 1) rest against theedges of the foot parts e of the sheet-holding bars, sothat the forceexerted upon the bars by the screws is received upon the full width ofthe bars and upon so much of the edges of the bars as agrees with thediameter of the screwheads, so that an ample bearing-surface is providedwhich prevents injury to each signature-holding bar when tension isapplied to force the bar away from the annular rib a. and disk 5, sothat its outer end may be raised sufficiently to cause its upper edge tobe horizontal and true. It will also be apparent that the structures arealike in function and that no pressure whatsoever is brought upon therear edges of the narrow side plates 4 by the bearing or operation ofeither device, as said edges are placed at a short distance away fromthe edge of the footpieces 6', against which the heads of the screwsbear.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a signature-holding arm for booksewingmachines, the combination with a head and its disks 3 and 5, of thesheet-holding bar e adapted to be received against the head between thedisks and having a foot part 6 extending over and beyond the peripheryof the lower disk, and an adjustable device connected to the head andhaving a flat face adapted to bear against the edge of the foot part foreffecting and maintaining the desired position of the sheet-holding bare, substantially as set forth.

2. In a signature-holding arm for booksewing machines, the combinationwith the head, its disks 3 and 5, of the sheet-holding bar 8 having afoot part 6 and adapted to be received against the head between thedisks with the foot part extending over and beyond the periphery of thelower disk and rotatable devices having fiat faces bearing upon the edgeof the foot part of the sheet-holding bar,- substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.-

3. In a signature-holding arm for booksewing machines, the combinationwith the head, its disks 3 and 5, of the sheet-holding bars 6 eachhaving a foot part c"and adapted to be received against the head betweenthe disks with the foot part extending over and beyond the periphery ofthe-lower disk, and locking-pins 12 passing through the upper disk 3into the upper edges of the sheet-holding bars and steady-pins 13 risingfrom the surface of the lower disk 5 and coming at opposite sides of thesheet-holding bars 6 and rotatable devices agreeing in number with thenumber of the sheet-holding bars and coming against the edges of thefoot parts of the sheet-holding bars, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

4. In a signature-holding arm for booksewing machines, the combinationwith the head, its disks 3 and 5, of the sheet-holding bars 6 eachhaving a foot part c and adapted to be received against the head betweenthe disks with the foot part extending over and beyond the periphery ofthe lower disk, and locking-pins 12 passing through the upper Iid disk 3into the upper edges of the sheet-holdfor securing the cam-disks to andagainst the ing bars, and steady-pins 13 rising from the under face ofthe disk 5, substantially as set IO surface of the lower disk 5 andcoming at opforth.

posite sides of the sheet-holding bars e, cam- Signed by me this 15thday of May, 1901.

5 disks agreeing in number with the number of JOHN R. REYNOLDS.

the sheet-holding bars and having peripheral Witnesses: faces comingagainst the edges of the foot R0131. H. SOHUTZ,

parts of the sheet-holding bars, and screws 0. O. KIMBALL.

